EU asks Australia to make foreign investment easier, eyes critical minerals
CANBERRA - The European Union would like Australia to make foreign investment easier, its ambassador in Canberra said on Wednesday, as the bloc looks to diversify its supply chain for critical minerals.
Ambassador Gabriele Visentin said EU investment in Australia was already "huge" and the bloc was eager to grow that especially when it comes to critical raw materials, such as lithium, cobalt and nickel.
Australia is rich in critical minerals that are essential for defense applications and the transition to cleaner energy, and its allies view it as a key potential source as they seek to break China's dominance in the supply of those materials.
"We want to invest more and more in likeminded partners," he said at the Minerals Week conference in Canberra.
"We would like to do even more and we would like to see an environment here in Australia which will encourage even more foreign direct investment."
In May, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate more closely critical and strategic minerals as the EU tries to diversify its suppliers away from China and Russia and transform its economy to reduce carbon emissions.
Australia and the EU have been negotiating a free trade agreement since 2018 although a deal remains elusive.
Talks ground to a halt last October after Australia rejected a deal it said failed to sufficiently open up European agriculture markets for Australian exports.
Comments
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Smart energy storage solutions for efficient, safe, and profitable power.
VISIT SHOWROOM
Developed to exceed the latest EN 15964 standards for police breathalysers proving that it will remain accurate and reliable for many years to come.
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
